The Golden Era
by Hell Harpie
Summary: Sequel to The Brighter Side of Death. Gabriel and Anna write a new chapter of their life together. Ruling the gypsies, fending off evil creatures, and being a family won't be easy for a bride of Dracula and the Left Hand of God, but they have each other.
1. Capture

**The Golden Era**

Hello my beauties! Welcome to the sequel to The Brighter Side of Death: The Golden Era! I have quite a few things to say, so read the chapter before you come read all this bullshit. If you have not read TBSOD, I strongly, highly recommend you do. You may be able to discern what is going on without doing so, but to truly understand all the connections and back story, you really should. If you have one or two easy questions, leave them for me in a review or private message (Is that what they call them here on ?), but I won't be providing long explanations. I did that already. In the prequel.

OC Warning: I usually strongly dislike OC's. They are all archetypes or serve only to make the main character more emo or more Mary-Sue. Is that still a thing you kids use to describe fanfics? I feel like I've been out of the game for a while :)

But all the fun characters from VH are dead, so I have to do something to continue on the story.  
I said this about TBSOD, and the same applies to TGE: Good stories have a story arc, or at least a beginning, middle and end. This is my personal story that I'm writing so that when I'm finished, I can read it all. I wrote/am writing this because I couldn't find the fanfic that told the story I wanted to read. This is not a good story. It goes on and on and on in my head, and I will continue to write it as long as I want to. So there will be OC's from now on. I am concerned sometimes about whether or not my OC's are merely self-serving or if they really add anything to the story, but I think the fact that I worry about it makes me careful to develop their characters adequately. I do my best.

Last Time on Gabey and Anna Trying To Lead Normal Lives [Premise]:

Gabey and Anna are engaged and living together in Vaseria. Drac kidnapped Anna, made her a vampire, boned her, and after something of a mental episode, Gabey and Anna get really mad and kill him and his silly brides as a thank you. They hang out at Vaseria and re-cooperate, fall in love, and try to keep from jumping each others' bones before the wedding night. Sexiness and serious Anna drama ensue. But, they need a priest to marry them, and eventually crown them king and queen of the gypsies, so they go to Budapest to find one. Please just read TBSOD. I know the first few chapters are annoying, but that stops after a while. And its so much more juicy than this lame-o summary.

* * *

I stare out over the street as my fiancé argues with a waiter in German. I have never seen streets so wide. The sidewalks themselves are bigger than the little dirt roads in my village. Our village. I suppose when we get married I will be queen and he will be king. Or perhaps the queen's consort. Perhaps only a gypsy can be king of the gypsies.  
As I turn back to the bickering, Gabriel rises from his chair and mutters, "We're leaving."  
With one last disgusted noise, the waiter follows us out of the restaurant and locks the front door behind us. "What the hell was that?" I ask, but Gabriel has already started down the street. I can hear his heart beating just slightly quicker than usual.  
"I told you to wear a dress."  
"They wouldn't serve you because of my trousers?"  
He pauses before answering, "Yes."

I scowl down at the wide sidewalk as we briskly walk deeper into Budapest. He had told me to bring skirts and dresses before we left. Don't be silly, I had said. No one cares about clothing.  
"Have you ever been to a large city?" He'd asked skeptically.  
"Yes."  
"Budapest?"  
"Yes."  
"When?"  
"When I was a little girl."  
Despite his strong suggestion, I packed my standard uniform. Running in a skirt is horrendous.  
"We should try a tavern." I comment, pulling my coat tighter around me.  
"Places like that will have vampires."  
"You have to eat somewhere." I pull my head up to look around at the dark buildings. They were getting taller the further we walked. Big, magnificent brick mountains with more details than a cathedral.  
"I would rather find us a room for the day." He slows in his walking and turns to a large glass window. A poster in the window features a dashing image of a man, a kerchief tied over his face and a wide brimmed hat covering his head. I cannot read the Hungarian words.  
"That could be anyone." I comment, trying to sound unconcerned.  
"But it's me." He exhales.

A clock ticks inside the shop and I glance at the time. "It is still early. We have time to find what we need."  
He nods. "A good innkeeper will know where we can find a meal."  
"Then we should find an inn without a dress requirement."  
With a sideways glance and a smile, he takes my hand and squeezes it briefly before putting his hands back into the pockets of his overcoat. "I would offer you my arm, but we should walk quickly. I do not like being so conspicuous."  
We start down the walkway again, "There are still some people out." I look over towards a group of well dressed drunkards stumbling and laughing into each other's faces.  
"Yes, there are still some. Drunk men and the women they've hired for the night."

We do find a room. And, after giving the slimy innkeeper a significant tip, we are pointed in the direction of a "café" just a few minutes away. Gabriel's frown grows every step we take toward the dingy café. I take some coins from my pocket and slip them into his hand. "If it will make you less worried I will wait at the hotel. You can eat in peace."  
"You are not to leave my sight for the duration of our travel."  
"Even if I must bathe?" I ask, trying to tease a man I know to be wholly uninterested in joking. I wish he would smile. That might undo the nervous knot in my stomach.  
"Especially if you bathe," He replies, opening the oddly discolored door and allowing me to enter first.

Moments later, I find myself watching him eat a bowl of stew. As he starts to devour a pile of dinner rolls and a mug of beer, he looks up at me. "Are you hungry?"  
I shake my head. That is not entirely true, but I can make arrangements for that later. Or can I? I'm not entirely sure how I will satiate that burning hunger when the sun sets tomorrow. I push my hair out of my face and learn back in my chair, my sleeves hanging off the armrests.  
"You're beautiful."  
I smile, "Finish. You'll catch some awful disease just sitting in here." I can see a fine layer of dust resting on the table between us. The fine establishment is full of exactly the sort of people Gabriel predicted would still be out at this hour. Or people dressed as though they were well off gentlemen and women of ill repute.

The front door creaks open and closed behind me. A new group of loud male voices and heavy shoes make the room even more cacophonous. There is something odd about this group, but I do not turn to inspect them. Gabriel looks over my shoulder to see the new guests and immediately sets down his mug. My eyes narrow as I realize what is wrong. None of the newcomers have beating hearts. As my mouth opens to suggest we depart, Gabriel murmurs, "Don't sit up. Do you see the door behind me?"  
"Yes." I answer instantaneously.  
"Go through it. Go now. Don't run. Find a church and stay there."  
Resisting the impossibly strong urge to look at the entryway, I casually stand up and walk toward the door. My boots sound unusually loud on the creaking wooden floor. I slip the fingers of my right hand around the firearm resting in the pocket of my coat. I use my left hand to open and close the back door quickly. As if just now recognizing the gravity of the situation, a jolt of fear spreads through my entire body, and I find myself climbing over a brick wall before I even decide to climb it. I fling my legs over the wall and run as soon as my heels touch the ground. Seconds later I find myself on the street. The familiar sensation of lugging a maddeningly slow body through thick, unyielding air does not come. Instead of running, I feel as though I am gliding. My clothing and weapons do not weigh down my movement. I shoot down the pathway faster than I ever ran when I was alive.

A shout bursts through the quiet night air behind me and I race faster, dodging the handful of strangers staring curiously at me. Usually a church is the tallest building in the city, but every building seems to touch the sky. And how will Gabriel find me in this concrete jungle?  
"Stop!" shouts a man's voice. He sounds as though he is directly behind me. My heart almost stops. I pull my revolver from my pocket and swing my arm out in a wide arc. Our eyes meet for a brief moment. He is one of the well-dressed men. Just slightly taller than I am, with brown hair and brown eyes. Incredibly handsome. He stops running at abruptly as I did.  
"I will not harm you." His accent is unrecognizable.  
"I would have no trouble harming you." I point the gun to his head.  
"I must take you to my master."  
"Get the hell away from me." My gun clicks as I pull the hammer back.  
"My master will not hurt you."

For a split second we stare into each other's eyes. I pull the trigger, but, somehow, his hand has pushed the weapon up over his head before the bullet leaves the barrel. The loud shot rings in my ears as I pull my left hand back and form a fist, ready to strike his torso. Seeming to appear from nowhere his hand closes over my fist and suddenly he holds both of my wrists, leaving me only my legs to repel him. Without thinking I kick my boot into his kneecap as hard as possible. A sickening crack accompanies his grunt of pain, and I find myself free. I stumble as I immediately try to run backwards, watching him groan as he doubles over in pain.

A hand grabs my upper arm and jerks me up from my crouched position. "What have we here?"  
My body is suddenly flung into the side of a monumental building. Another man, this one taller, shoves me up against the wall with his body, pinning my arms to the bricks.  
"And what is your name?" He asks lasciviously, pressing our bodies together firmly. I try to push him away, but his torso is as strong as steel.  
"Lazarus! Enough!" The shorter man snaps.  
"What have you done to her?" asks my captor, his face alarmingly close to mine. "Her heart is beating like the wings of a little bird that longs to be free." His chest is as hollow as Dracula's had been on All Hallow's Eve.  
Turning my face as far from Lazarus' smirk as I can, I try to force myself to be calm. My heart, for some ungodly reason, continues to beat, and they can read my emotions as I can read Gabriel's through the movement of his blood.  
"Our colleagues successfully detained Van Helsing and he will be joining us shortly." Lazarus murmurs.  
"Let go of me!" I snarl, trying to disguise my increasing heart rate as anxiety over my well-being and not Gabriel's. An overwhelming sensation of defeat begins to broil in my stomach. What have they done to Gabriel? What do they want with us? Who is his master?

The handsome man crosses his arms, "If he does you will flee."  
Becoming truly panicked, I find myself speaking very loudly into Lazarus' face, "Release me at once."  
"Are you not comfortable?" He chuckles, shifting his weight to apply pressure with his hips.  
"Lazarus." The other man chastises him quietly.

Before I can blink, my captor rips me away from the wall and spins my body into his, one hand over my mouth, one hand pinning my wrists to my chest. With my back to Lazarus' front, I am perfectly capable of kicking his companion, but another one of his amorous murmurs persuades me against it, "Now here is a threat for you. If you bite me, or are anything but perfectly silent, I'll ravish you right here on the street."  
The other man glares at Lazarus darkly before turning to glance up the road.  
"Spare me your scowl, William. Had I not come to check on you, she would have disappeared."  
William shakes his head. "And someone else would have found her in an hour."  
Why do they need to find me? How can I possibly mean anything to anyone of importance?

"Look what we've found!" A voice behind us laughs.  
Gabriel, escorted by two other men, glances at me briefly as he approaches. Both giant men have pistols pointing into Gabriel's coat, which explains his rather subdued compliance. The men all exchange words in a language I do not know, and Lazarus whispers into my ear, "I will release you now, but if you do not listen to us, we may have to hurt Mr. Van Helsing." I nod, wincing at his utterly nauseating demeanor.  
His hands slither away from me, and William grabs my forearm, "Please come with us."

Gabriel does not look at me during the carriage ride, which does nothing to alleviate my anxiety. The carriage is quite lavish and quite small. My knees almost touch Lazarus' long legs. Except for commenting that his "associates" would go ahead of us and alert their master of our arrival, William says nothing, content to silently point two revolvers at my fiancé, who sits across from him and diagonal to me. Lazarus, conversely, never ceases talking. He asks me about what I enjoy in bed, if I would be interested in staying with him during my time in Budapest, and several other subjects that make Gabriel's face turn red. Gabriel and I join William in his perfect silence. It is a very odd carriage ride.

"At least tell me your name." Lazarus insists, perfectly happy with his one-sided conversation. It is difficult to reconcile the fact that Gabriel and I are in the process of being abducted by a degenerate and a mute with the topics for discussion one of the abductors continues to propose.  
"No." I say blandly, watching a large gate close behind the us through the glass windows of the carriage.  
"Well, perhaps I can guess. You are either a gypsy or a prostitute, judging by your attire."  
It becomes suddenly much more difficult to keep my eyes from glaring at him and my mouth from saying something that would give him an excuse to take liberties with an unruly captive. He continues as the carriage rumbles to a halt, "Either is certainly a step down for you, Mr. Van Helsing. No man can blame you for having a woman in every port, but gypsies are pagans, and usually thieves. I should think God would—"

His sentence is cut short when my fist collides with his nose. A spurt of blood erupts from his face, and I am instantly yanked out of the carriage. William forcefully guides me toward the stairs of a gigantic mansion. I am taken aback momentarily by the incomprehensible size of the estate, and I jerk my head around to see the sweeping lawns and long road leading up to the main house. I have never seen anything like this.

Gabriel and Lazarus exit, and the latter's coat is covered in the blood from his broken nose. Said nose, now healed, is covered in smudges of blood where its owner tried to wipe it clean. Lazarus swears profusely, roughly pushing Gabriel in the back with a pistol and cocking the gun out of rage. William takes my elbow and escorts me through the mansion's entrance hall and main hall. The house is brimming with gorgeous men and women, all pale as the moon and all staring listlessly at me as I am marched up the stairs. The scenes we pass by look like portraits one might see at Castle Dracula. The ladies all wear flowing evening gowns, their hair all piled high into curly coiffures, and jewels glittering from their ears and wrists. The men wear fine suits and offer the ladies champagne flutes filled with rich red…oh God. I am in a house full of the undead. Gabriel is in a house full of vampires. He will never leave this house alive.

"Please have a seat." William extends an arm toward an ornate armchair. The room he led me to appears to be some kind of sitting room. I decline the invitation and watch him as he walks to the back wall. Though I cannot see what he does, I hear a small noise, and soft light brightens the room. Gas powered lights. My father had told me about them, but it was almost as though they were a myth. William's eyes turn back to me, and I meet his gaze as he walks back over to me, his pace slow and somewhat ominous.

"What is your name?" He asks softly.  
"Why does it matter?"  
"I would like to be able to tell my friends about the woman that finally gave Lazarus the broken nose all women wish to give him."  
Under normal circumstances, I would have smiled. Though, I cannot think of a context in which this conversation would be considered normal. "I thought you were to take me to your master."  
"He has been informed of our arrival. I am to wait for him here."

I turn from him and walk across the rug covering the glossy wood floor. How can I believe him? How can I know our abduction is not merely a whim of a group of brash vampires? And what of Gabriel? He could be dead already and I would not know. My throat tightens at the thought.

"What are you?"  
I glare at him. "I will be the last thing you ever see if anything happens to myself or to Van Helsing." The threat sounds unconvincing even to me.  
Shaking his head, he walks toward me again, "Your heart still beats, but your appearance is similar to ours. You run faster than an average woman, but you were unable to evade being detained. And the part of you that would tell me seems to be missing…"  
A hot, burning sensation crawls up my body, and my still beating heart feels as though it has grown twice its normal size. That creeping, unstoppable beast that had been forced into me had all but disappeared after Dracula had died. William's contemplation of it was equally terrifying and embarrassing. That potent monster had indulged its darkest temptations and rejoiced as my mind was destroyed. I hope it suffered the same fate as its creator. "Tell me about your master." I ask quickly, trying to refocus his thoughts.

"Tell me your name."  
I pause for a moment. "How will you know if I am truthful?"  
A small smile appears on his handsome face. He seems very young. I could be a few years older than him.  
"Who is he?" I ask.  
"Matthias. The master of Budapest."

My gaze jumps from his eyes as I try to see into my memory. Matthias. I remember that name. It was hissed into my ear. Whomever it was, the memory is not a good one.  
"Listen to me." I lower my voice to emphasize my urgency. "I will give you anything you could ever want if you see to it that Van Helsing leaves this place immediately."  
William's face remains neutral. "I have an obligation to my master to bring any persons of note to him."  
"I will take his place."  
"You have nothing to fear from my master. And there is nothing you have that I want."  
For a moment, the thought of the silver knife tucked into my boot passes through my mind. Though if I am attempting to barter for Gabriel's safety, violence may not increase my leverage.

"Why would I have nothing to fear from Matthias?" I ask more out of irritation than genuine curiosity.  
"He does not harm those who have not offended him."  
Several moments of silence pass between us. William's proximity to me should be unnerving, but if he had wanted to harm me, it is likely he would have already done so.

"What would he want from me?"

The doorknob turns behind us and William steps back, turning to face the doorway. Matthias enters, and my memory of him floods back into my mind. He had seized my arm at the wedding and snarled to Verona about my behavior. She had said I should not cross him. He is the spitting image of every man I have ever seen. Dark hair, dark eyes. Thin, but not gaunt. Tall, but not irregularly so. His only distinguishing feature is his almost incandescently white skin. Plain and easily forgotten. Matthias. The master of Budapest.

Matthias looks to William after inspecting me as thoroughly as I inspected him. William instantly walks to the door and exits, glancing back to look at me with an odd, empty look in his eyes.  
The door closes, and I am, again, left alone with a very powerful vampire.

* * *

Aww snappp. Anna is a creepy old vampire magnet. I guess that's what happens when you get engaged to a guy that likes to kill creepy old vampire. Dumb Anna.  
Leave me a nice review! If you're going to be mean, save yourself some time and me some mental anguish and just go read another story. Bad reviews make my corazon hurttt.

Also, tell me what you think about the formatting. I like the little baby paragraphs because I think they're easier to read. But maybe they look like am immature way to structure a fanfic. I don't know. I don't know anything.


	2. Veracity

**Chapter 2**  
**Veracity**

ForeverACharmedOne: Thank you! I don't really know how else to do it, but I guess it doesn't really matter :)

hewhoreaps: Matthias has lots of eyes and ears all over the city. We'll find out more about that in the next chapter, I believe. He's pretty dope.

Secret Admirer / Love of my Life: No, she's a total tool. Anna knows jack. I'm kind of betting Drac didn't show her the town before the All Hallow's Eve ball, though I guess nobody knows for sure. In my mind I feel like he did a lot more sexual harassing and a lot less exposing Anna to the city. The heartbeat thing is kind of my own thing. I would like to think her heart would keep beating because it's 'used to it.' It will eventually stop once her body realizes the cells don't need oxygen. Just like she still breathes now out of habit. Maybe that's kind of dumb. That's probably kind of dumb. But I like it...? I'd like to think that vampires can force their hearts to beat when they want to in order to escape detection, or that they still beat when the vampires get really angry / horny / nervous, etc. Bleh. I've never seen True Blood. Just to throw that out there. And I'm an Anna fan! She's a mess, but a hot mess!

Alright, my pretties! Here's another chapter so you don't forget about me.

If you're looking for a visual, I think Matthias looks something like Christian Bale or Ewan McGregor. I'm leaning more towards Christian Bale. Know of any celebrity that would work better than that?

* * *

"Countess Anna Valerious Dracula." Matthias smiles. A small, but genuine smile. "If you had just told my colleagues your name, they would have left you to your own devices." He strolls over to a cabinet and pulls out a large bottle and two large wine glasses. "Though, I suspect something is amiss at Castle Dracula. I have not received any correspondence from your household in almost a month."

After shaking the bottle vigorously, he pours the scarlet blood into the wine glasses. Much to my displeasure, I find the smell and sight of the viscous liquid almost intoxicating…  
"Tell me, did Verona allow you to leave?" He asks, offering me one of the glasses.  
I do not accept it. He places his glass to his lips and drinks heartily, placing my glass on the end table next to me.

"Perhaps Gabriel has managed to keep you in hiding for this long. Were you ever discovered after your sudden departure from your wedding?"  
Casually seating himself across from me in a chair, he takes another swig from his glass. The only way Matthias could know Gabriel's first name was if he had already spoken to him. This Matthias is not the irate Matthias that had wanted to maim me for accidentally bumping him. The casual tone in his voice is truly unnerving.  
"You will be reunited with Gabriel as soon as you have given me the information I require."

After a few more moments of silence, he sets down his glass and leans forward in his seat. "Let me tell you a story. I was invited to an All Hallow's Eve ball a few weeks ago. I attended, with the love of my life as my guest. While watching the host of the ball dance with a woman in a red gown, I was suddenly called away on business. The love of my life stayed at the ball to enjoy the celebrations."  
Shifting my weight, I stare at him nervously. I would want to harm the person responsible for the incineration of my love if I was him.  
"When I met you I was under the impression that she had suffered the same fate as the other attendees. However, she escaped the tragedy that befell the other guests, and, being quite shaken, had decided to stay with some friends away from the city. She thought it best to stay away until the conflict between Count Dracula and Mr. Van Helsing subsided. Luckily, she returned just last night. Now, considering the present circumstances, I would much rather be spending time with my love instead of attempting to draw information from a taciturn fledgling."  
He consumes the remaining liquid in his wine glass and sits back in his chair. "And judging by your silence, you would rather be anywhere else in the world but here. This I can understand. I would be happy to provide you with lodging here for the duration of your stay in Budapest. Anything you or Mr. Van Helsing should need will be provided, as long as you answer all of my questions honestly."

But why? Why would he need to bribe me? What could I know that is so important to him?  
After a few seconds of silence he reciprocates my scowl. "The less you tell me the more time I will need to spend with Gabriel. And perhaps by then I will be in a much less forgiving state of mind."  
I close my eyes briefly. "What do you want?"  
"Sit." He finishes the contents of his wine glass as I lower myself slowly onto one of the chairs.  
"How did you escape Castle Dracula?"  
"Van Helsing came for me."  
"At your wedding."  
"Yes." My stomach drops each time he says that word.  
"How did he escape detection? There were dozens of vampires."  
"I don't know." I murmur. I had never considered the specific details of my rescue. The rescue itself had been enough.  
"Were you soon discovered?"  
I shake my head. "We returned to Castle Dracula some time later."  
"Why?"  
"To kill Dracula."

Matthias' jovial demeanor evaporated almost instantly. He considers his words very careful before speaking again. "Did you succeed?"  
"Yes." I suddenly feel as though all of the power I could have held over this strange man has disappeared. My father had always told me that knowledge is all that matters to men who live forever.  
Matthias nods, his vision becoming foggy as he sorts the thoughts in his mind. "How?"  
"I shall not say."  
"You should not be here, Anna. How can you still sit before me if your sire has been destroyed?"  
"How I survived is unclear to me. Whatever Gabriel did kept me…alive."  
"You do know what he did." Matthias squints slightly, somehow sensing that I had admitted to only part of the truth and not the entire truth. "But the more important question is why. Why would Gabriel Van Helsing, a murderer wanted by the law, care if a vampire perished with her master?"  
I look down to my boots. My cold toes feel sore. If only this was all a dream. I could open my eyes and be back at Vaseria with Gabriel…"We are engaged."  
"Engaged to be married."  
I exhale slowly through my nose and bring my eyes back to his face. "Yes."  
"You wear no ring."  
"It is the wrong size."  
"Tell the truth."  
"I have a ring. I am not wearing it."  
"Why?"  
"What does it matter to you?" I ask, raising my voice.  
"Is this a marriage for love?"

Glaring, I attempt to control the betraying heart pounding in my chest, "Of course it is."  
"_Mon Dieu_." He stands, the fine cloth of his suit sliding over itself with a gentle noise. He returns to the open bottle and fills his glass again. "So you have spent a month living together in a haze of love. I am surprised you were able to keep yourself from taking his life."  
"I would never kill anyone to feed myself."  
"There are ways to circumvent killing mortals. That might have been one of the many lessons Vladislaus would have taught you. That might also explain why you appear so malnourished. Finish this." He places the bottle next to my full wine glass.  
"Why are you in Budapest?" He does not return to his seat. Apparently the information I have given away is worthy of standing.  
"My village is in need of a priest."  
"I had almost forgotten. You are royalty." Matthias smirks into his glass. "Though, I wouldn't dare slur the gypsies. Lazarus tells me you do not tolerate such insults."  
Unable to resist the temptation any longer, and to avoid responding, I take a small sip from my wine glass. The blood tastes so sweet, and warms my body so much that I immediately supplement my sip with an additional long drink.  
"How did you know of my title?" The question spills out of my mouth. A swell of energy grows and crests inside me and I feel much more alert. Someday I will be able to feel this way without drinking blood.  
"I spoke to the Count before the wedding ceremony. He disclosed why he had decided to take you as his bride. And the significance of your nuptials."

Trying desperately not to remember the events he would not stop alluding to, I find myself staring into the bottom of my empty wine glass. Had I really consumed all of it so quickly?  
"Which I why I find the news of your engagement startling. I should think any widow would allow herself some independence before handing herself over to the mercy of—"  
"Have you any more questions?"  
"Another husband." He concludes his sentence, looking at me warily. "I have many more questions. You came to Budapest to order a priest from Rome."  
"Yes."  
"And what else?"  
"That is the only reason."  
"I require the truth, Anna."  
"That is the truth."  
"I am able to discern when I am lied to. It does you no use to divulge half-truths."  
Tapping my fingernails against the wine glass, I continue. "If my fiancé wishes it, we will be married here."  
"And when will he return to the Vatican?"  
"He does not plan on returning." How could he possibly know Gabriel reports to the Vatican?

"Let me confirm what I believe you are telling me." Matthias places his hands in his pockets. "Count Dracula turned you and made you his wife. A few weeks later Gabriel Van Helsing killed him, and a short while after that, proposed marriage to you. You accepted his proposal after, I assume, carefully considering the incredible strain your marriage will endure because of the limitations placed on you as one of us and the limitations placed on him as a wanted criminal and God's waste incinerator. You concluded that, despite these less-than-ideal circumstances, and the momentous changes that have recently occurred in your life, the best decision you could make was to marry him."

I nod slowly. When the last few months of my life are framed this way, they seem much less romantic and much more traumatizing. My God.

"Very well. I shall see what the groom has to say." He stands. "I would advise that you do not try to leave this room. Our kind is not very forgiving of youth."  
"Why?"  
"Every new fledgling may be a threat one day."  
"Why am I not to leave this room?" I rise to my feet, glaring at the back of his head as he makes his way to the door. "Why am I here? What do you want?"  
"I will be back within the hour." He opens the door, and almost steps through it, but I stomp toward him, "You cannot keep me here."  
Matthias pauses before leaving. "Yes, I can."

I hear the door lock behind him, and I immediately walk over to the bottle and take several long drinks, angry at myself for letting this happen. If I could only go back a few hours and convince Gabriel to eat in the morning. We could have rested in the inn until sunrise and he could have eaten at some café. And now I am here, in this museum of a house, alone, gulping down blood like some kind of fiend. I put the bottle down, scowling at the thought.

Staring up at a set of plush curtains, I exhale noisily. I would very much rather not walk on the roof. Twisting the lock open, I pull the glass pane in, and a gush of frozen air chills my face.  
The night is cold and quiet. As I look down into the gardens behind the gigantic house, I almost think the flowers and trees are fake. With no convenient ledges or balconies in sight, I decide to jump to the ground. Thank goodness I am only on the second floor. Though I brace myself for an unpleasant landing, the impact is painless, and I immediately stand to make sure I was not seen. I wish I knew where they had decided to keep Gabriel. Should I try to find him? If I am able to free myself, he will likely already be on his way back to the city. But, if he is truly in danger, I cannot abandon him. If I find my way back to Budapest, I will only have to return to liberate him. And every minute Gabriel is here is one more minute a vampire may decide to exact revenge upon him. I wrench open a heavy door and slip inside the dark manor.

* * *

Damn. She dumb. Girl, don't go in there! You're a weakling!

Nice reviews mean a faster update! :D


	3. Check

**Chapter 3  
****Check **

YES, I STILL EXIST. Here is another chapter. But enough of me. Get reading! Reread the last chapter if you have to! Also, after reading, please tell me if the title of this chapter makes sense at all. This chapter was difficult for me to write, so I really hope you enjoy. All suggestions are welcome for the next chapter! Happy Zombie Jesus Day / Easter!

ALSO: I think I need an editor. I used to have a writing partner (a la TBSOD, the prequel to this fanfic) who would help me decide which of my ideas were totally stupid or out of character. Now that it's just me, I'm finding that harder. Is anyone who is pretty familiar with my interpretation of these characters, and my story in general? If so, would you be interested in helping me with these chapters? I would probably bounce ideas off of you or even send you sections of writing to judge. Would any of you be interested? I only ask that you respond to my emails fairly quickly. I am rather impatient. And I'm not promising I would take your advice. But you would get previews of chapters! Lemme know!

* * *

I am spotted almost immediately by a trio of women sipping glasses of blood in ball gowns. The dim lighting and silence of the foyer unnerves me. Usually I cannot stop hearing everything, but this castle of a house is unnaturally quiet. Six eyes stare at me as I walk briskly toward the broad staircase. They must have put Gabriel on another floor.

As I turn to walk up the stairs, I see a man walk through a door carrying a corked bottle. "Ladies, enough of your gossip, there are—"  
He pauses, and the only sound that echoes off the high walls is the sound of my boot heels. I can feel another pair of eyes land upon me.  
"Who are you?" Asks one of the women, calling up the staircase.

My heart begins to pump against my chest and I focus my eyes on the stairs. She does not sound as though my presence is inconsequential to her.  
Picking up my head up to see the top of the staircase, one of the women suddenly appears before me, her glass almost full of crimson liquid. "I believe I asked you a question."  
"She is just a baby." One of the other women is suddenly beside me, smirking, her gleaming eyes swirling into bright yellow sparks.  
"To whom do you belong?" The man asks as I immediately turn to walk back down the stairs. I brush past the woman with Marishka's eyes, but the man does not allow me to pass by him. He repeats the question after grabbing me with his free hand. "I belong to no one." I snap, pulling myself from his grasp.  
"We should give her to Henry." The first woman offers lazily, sipping from her flute as she suddenly appears next to the man. "He never stops complaining of his boredom."  
"She sounds like an accident."  
"She does not look like an accident."  
"She looks ridiculous."

Almost running to a door across the foyer, I wrench it open and slam it, the sounds of their obnoxious giggles cut off abruptly. The walls and doors must be impenetrable to noise.  
I turn the key resting in the lock. A locked door certainly would not stop four vampires, but it might delay them. Jerking the key from the lock, I turn away and immediately slam into a dark body. A tall man with thick black hair and a clergyman's collar peers down at me through a pair of glasses. "Are you alright, madame?"  
"Father!" I breathe, shocked to see a priest in a house full of demons. "Please, father, we are in danger." I pull him along with me as I continue to search for an exit. I must see to it that he escapes. Vampires delight in tormenting the church.  
"Please, please, what has frightened you so?" He asks, allowing himself to be pulled across the room and through another door.  
"There are people here who would harm you, Father. I will explain once we are far away from here."  
"Is Matthias aware of the danger?"  
I stop so quickly I almost trip over my own boots. "You know Matthias?"  
"Of course. We are good friends. He asked me to see him this evening."  
Good friends? With a priest? "You have been here before?"  
"Many times."  
A hot blush creeps up my neck and spreads to my cheeks. I release him, cursing myself for so roughly dragging a priest through a house in which he is welcome.  
"What is your name?"  
"Anna Valerious. I apologize for startling you."  
"Are you troubled, Mrs. Valerious? Is there someone who wishes to harm you?"

Suddenly my head begins to spin. I haven't spoken to a real priest in years. Gabriel is gone, I am in a foreign country, there are at least half a dozen vampires who are aware of my presence in this extravagant prison, and how a handsome priest tells me he is good friends with the vampire master of a major city. "My fiancé is being held here against his will." I murmur, closing my eyes briefly. Please let this night end. Tomorrow I might be able to make sense of my life.

He is silent for a moment. "I can help you."  
He guides me through the maze of hallways and into an office. "This is the office of the Property Manager."  
"Where is he?" I ask, admiring the fireplace, a few embers glowing in the grate.  
"She will soon return. Justine works here quite frequently."  
I raise my eyebrows. "Is she discreet?"  
"Should she be?"  
I hesitate, but manage to mumble, "I must leave this place as soon as I find my fiancé."  
"Matthias can protect you from anyone that could hurt you." He attempts to reassure me. "You are quite safe within these walls."  
I cannot help but stare at him. Who is this man? Is he the same kind of priest that officiated my previous wedding? He is certainly alive. His heart beats. His skin does not have the telltale, eerie sheen.  
"You are a guest here, aren't you?" He frowns slightly.  
I turn away from him, "Guest would imply that I am here voluntarily."

The door swings open, and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen enters the room. A deep, purple ball gown clings to her flawless figure, a perfect hourglass with a generous upper bulb. Her hair is absolutely golden. It may have been blonde white once, but it has not seen sunlight in centuries. Two golden curls rest on her porcelain skin, not a single hair out of place. Her large, sapphire eyes look at me with real warmth, and I feel as though I am looking into a star. She is too dazzling for words.  
"Father Delgadillo!" Her English is as accented with French as mine is with Romanian. "What a pleasant surprise."  
"Justine, this is Anna."  
Justine curtsies and smiles, the black lace hanging from her bosom swinging as she moves. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Anna."  
"Anna needs to find someone in your home, Justine."  
"Who do you seek?" She asks, an eager gleam in her eye.  
"A man named Van Helsing. I must see him immediately."  
She clasps her hands together, seemingly unaware of just whom I had requested. "Then I shall find him. Please excuse me. I will return shortly."  
"Van Helsing is your fiancé?"  
I ignore his question. Perhaps I should not have used Gabriel's name.  
"Van Helsing cannot be married, Miss. He is a member of an organization called the Knights of the—"  
"The Knights of the Holy Order." I sigh impatiently.  
"How…how do you know of the Holy Order?"  
"My family has been in contact with the Holy Order for centuries. We are the Valerious of Transylvania."  
"I recognize the name, but I'm afraid I am not familiar with your family."  
"The Valerious have been entrusted with the task of destroying Count Dracula."  
Delgadillo crosses himself. "_Dios mio_. What are you doing in Budapest?"  
"What is a Spaniard doing in Budapest?" I attempt to sound curious, but my irritation is difficult to conceal.

"My father was a Spanish gypsy and my mother was a Romanian gypsy." He says softly.  
"I apologize for my tone, Father. I am uneasy here."  
"Have you been to Budapest long?"  
I shake my head. "No. We arrived earlier this evening."  
"We? You traveled here with Van Helsing?"  
"I…yes." Had he been Mr. Delgadillo and not Father Delgadillo I would have told him to mind his own business.  
"Travelling with a man not related to you, and dressed so oddly? I should think a family such as yours would frown upon such behavior."  
Realizing slowly that he is not attempting to be humorous, I pull my coat tighter around me to cover my corset. "My people and I pay no attention to such trivial customs, Father."  
"You would do well to pay attention. They will get you respect in a city like this. And I'm afraid I must ask you not to marry Van Helsing. He is a man of the Church. A man of God."  
"That is a matter I think you should discuss with him."  
"I intend to."

After a few moments of silence, he sits at the chair behind a desk and retrieves a rosary from his pocket. He fingers the beads absent-mindedly, the light from the gas lamps reflecting off of his glasses.  
Justine soon returns. "Please, Anna, come with me."  
She strides gracefully through the halls, her head held high. I am several inches taller than her, and I must look gangly and dark by comparison.  
I finally, finally see Gabriel. Justine knocks on a door, is told to enter, opens the door, and there he is. There are no obvious signs of abuse, and I feel some the blistering anxiety in my head subside. Thank God he is not hurt.  
"Anna. I should have known you have done the exact opposite of what you were instructed to do." Matthias smiles, turning from his seat to look at me. "Please, come in and have a seat."  
I barely notice as Justine slips out of the room. I wrench my eyes from Gabriel and walk toward an empty chair. Placing my hands on the back of the chair, I force myself to look at Matthias.  
"See? She is unharmed." He gestures toward me, with a glance toward my fiancé. "Ask her yourself. Has anyone hurt you in any way, Anna?"  
"Release us." I reply brusquely.  
"You make it sound as though you are prisoner."  
"We do not wish to be here."  
"Is that the royal 'we' or does Mr. Van Helsing concur?" Matthias chuckles.  
"He concurs." Gabriel adds, at last deciding to speak.  
"I see. Even after the letters I have shown you?"

Gabriel is silent. "Now, as for the question for which neither of you had an answer. As to how Gabriel managed to evade discovery after rescuing you, Princess. When I met you, Anna, on the night of your nuptials, I recognized the gravity of your situation almost immediately. Soon thereafter, I realized Gabriel had infiltrated the castle. It was I who kept the other vampires from noticing the beating of his heart. I alerted Countess Verona and masked his presence for the duration of the ceremony."  
"Why? And how?" I did not know that vampires possessed this ability.  
"I'm sure your beloved will explain why in a short while. And I would be happy to teach you how, should you become powerful enough in a few hundred years." He pauses. "There is much more to discuss. But it will wait until tomorrow. For now, Justine will show you to your quarters."  
"We are not staying here."  
"Perhaps I should show you to your quarters." He sighs, rising to his feet. "I understand this is not ideal, but I believe you are underestimating your value as a fledgling."  
"What are you talking about?"  
He waves away my question with a pale hand. "There will be plenty of time to discuss that tomorrow evening. Please follow me."  
I turn to Gabriel in exasperation. His absolute inability to react to this nightmare is incredibly wearing. Gabriel stands, "I believe you understand, Matthias, that we are all exercising considerable charity from this moment on."

The rooms we are led to are truly lovely. We have a generous sitting room with doors to a gold and marble bathroom, and a single master bedroom. I can only glare at Matthias as he bids us goodnight and leaves us, "And feel free to speak as loudly as you wish. No sounds pass through the walls here."  
I bite my tongue and turn to the love of my life. Please let him apologize over and over again for being so ridiculously silent all night and for all of the misfortune that has happened to us.

"I know." He mutters, pulling off his heavy coat.  
"I am not sleeping here tonight." I inform him as he strolls over to the bar in the corner of the sitting room.  
"I think you will." He mutters, pulling out a bottle of vodka.  
"Gabriel, how can you even say that? God only know what will happen when the day comes."  
"You will fall asleep, and they will all fall asleep. And I will very likely fall asleep." He takes a swig of the liquor and scowls at the taste.  
"Are you telling me you would sleep here? You trust him? And all the other vampires here? I can't believe this!"  
"Yes. I trust him. And you know I would not let you sleep anywhere I felt was unsafe."  
"Are you joking?" I cry. "What is going on? First you wouldn't even look at me, then you just sat there in the carriage as that man talked to me with…" I stutter, searching for the English word, "_filthy_ words, and now you're drinking? Do you not understand what has happened?"  
After a third drink, he caps the bottle. "Yes, Anna, I understand. I let us get kidnapped because I was hungry. I let you get treated like garbage. I didn't want them to know we meant anything to each other, so I didn't look at you. Or talk to you. I thought our safety might take precedence over your honor,"  
A sinking feeling pulls down my stomach. I hate that I hadn't even considered his lack of attention as a survival tactic.  
Walking towards me, he continues, some of the stress creeping into his voice, "Now our only options are to stay here or try and escape, and, frankly, I don't want to upset Matthias." He hands me the bottle and brushes past me into the bedroom.  
"So we are to sit on our hands?" The vodka swishes in the bottle as I walk in after him.  
"Sometimes the best course of action is no action at all."  
His calm state is infuriating. "Christ, Gabriel! What the hell did he say to you?"  
"Stop shouting!" He snaps, turning to face me. "We can't be upset with each other right now."  
He is right again. I set down the bottle on a dresser. "I'm not upset with you."  
"I know." He steps close to me. For a moment I wish he would take me in his arms and kiss my face and promise me we this would be over as soon as possible.  
"We'll stay here for tonight. You will be safe. I will be safe. If they had wanted to hurt us, they would have done so already."  
I look into his face, searching for some kind of reassurance. "How do you know that?"  
He exhales through his nose. Looking down at me, he nods, more to himself than to me. "Let's talk."

Moments later, we are side by side in the oversized armchair sitting in the corner of the bedroom. Facing the large bed is mildly uncomfortable, but Gabriel distracts me by wrapping his arm around me and kissing the top of my head.  
"It was almost impossible to listen to that man in the carriage. And I wish you hadn't hit him. But I'm also glad you did."  
I smile, but stay silent.  
He rubs my arm with one of his big hands. "I know it is hard to trust someone in situations like these."  
"I trust you."  
"But you still think we should leave."  
I frown, resting my head against his chest. "Tell me why you trust Matthias."  
"He told me some very strange things. He said that he and I had been friends, centuries ago. Very good friends, in fact. And we were both friends of Dracula."  
I lift my head to look at him. "What else?"  
"He said he was already a vampire when I knew him then. We knew each other when…Dracula was murdered."  
"Matthias was a vampire before Dracula."  
"That is what he implied."  
"How is that possible?" As soon as I spoke I realized how stupid I sounded. I suppose I had always just assumed he was the first.  
"Well, from what I understand, there is no evidence Dracula was the first vampire. The strongest, perhaps, but not necessarily the first."  
"Do you believe him?"  
After a brief silence, Gabriel responds, "At first I didn't. But then Matthias produced some correspondence that had passed between us."  
"Letters?"  
"Several letters. In German. It was my handwriting."  
"How can you be sure?" I ask, sitting up, and turning my body in my seat to face him. "There is no way he would have kept letters that were hundreds of years old."  
"I know it is difficult to understand…" He sighs. "But I believe him."  
"Gabriel, he is lying to you!"  
"I'm not so sure. One of the letters was about a dinner we had attended, and when I read it, I remembered the dinner. I remembered knocking over an expensive bottle of wine."  
"That could have been any dinner." I protest, putting my hand over his.  
"Yes. But then he said he had wanted to meet with me for some time. He said he wants to help me. He wants to help his old friend." Oh my God. How is this possible? How can my fiancé, who is usually so bright, actually believe this?

"You cannot really believe him, Gabriel."  
"I do believe him."  
"He is trying to take advantage of us." I push myself up and out of the chair, and Gabriel follows suit.  
"You don't know that."  
"I know he is a vampire! A monster!" I take off my coat and throw it onto the dresser to keep myself from looking at him.  
"Not all vampires are monsters."  
"Yes they are."  
"You aren't."  
Rather than give in to the crushing weight of that statement, I choke out a retort, "Don't be so sure."

Seemingly unaware of the devastating blow of his last comment, Gabriel continues to defend himself. "There is something genuine about him. When I am near him, I do not sense evil in him."  
Does he sense evil in me? The thought seems toxic, and I push it out of my mind. "He must know you want to know your past. He is making up stories."  
"No, Anna. How would he know I cannot remember my past? How would he know I knew Dracula hundreds ago?"  
"Dracula could have told him."  
"Even if he did," Gabriel sits down on the bed, "what would he want from us?"  
"He wants to see Van Helsing, the bane of all evil, dead."  
"Then why let me live this long?" He asks.  
"My God, Gabriel, I don't know." I refuse to entertain the idea that Gabriel could be killed.

Bending down to remove his boots, Gabriel continues, "Matthias could have invented the story he told me, but I can't think of why he would do that."  
"What are you doing?"  
He doesn't stop, or look up at me. "I don't care to sleep in my shoes."  
Shaking my head, I drop down onto the bed. "You've given up. You believe him."  
"Changing strategy is far from giving up." He stands and retrieves a thick pair of socks from the dresser. "When life has asked us to play chess, we have won by flipping over the board and throwing the pieces at our opponent. However, there are some, like Matthias, that force us to play the game."  
I just stare at him. How can anyone be thinking of socks and metaphors at a time like this?  
"Have faith in me, Anna. Soon this will all be just a memory."

"Perhaps you should worry." I sigh, bending to take off my own boots. "I never learned how to play chess."

* * *

So. Do YOU believe Matthias? Do you believe in Harvey Dent?


	4. Paramour

**Chapter 4**  
**Paramour**

As Liz Lemon would say, things are happening! Reread the last couple chapters, please. This chapter was a little more procedural, but some meaty character drama next chapter. I promise. Inspiration for dress discussed below came from a wikipedia image, allegedly from 1888. If you go to the "1880s in fashion" wikipedia page and look at the 7th picture of womens' fashion, you might recognize it. Happy reading!

* * *

The first thing I see the next evening is a blur of blonde curls. The second thing I see, I devour. After a few moments, I pull the wine glass from my lips and examine my surroundings. Justine, smiling and radiant, pours herself another glass of thick blood as she sits on the edge of my bed. Gabriel is gone. My glass is empty, with a few crimson drops pooling at the bottom. For a moment I had almost forgotten where I was. For just a moment I had been in my bed in Vaseria.

"This will help put some color in our cheeks." She grins, pouring more into my cup.  
"Where is Van Helsing?" I only hesitate for a second before gulping down my drink. I wish I could resist that smell.

"Matthias has taken him downstairs to see our tailor."

"I must see him right away." I set down the wine glass and stand up from the bed.

Justine stands, "Not before you are dressed."

"I am dressed." As I no longer require comfort to fall asleep, I had decided to sleep fully clothed, boots and all.  
"My lord Matthias insists that you dress in a manner more consistent with the other occupants of this estate." She gestures toward a long box and a pair of short, modern ladies walking boots.  
"Why?" I sigh in exasperation. Apparently all male vampires feel the need to dress the women they hold captive.  
"It will make you less conspicuous as a visitor to the city, it will provide an opportunity for your travelling clothes to be washed, and it will make Matthias more inclined to agree to your wishes." She explains calmly, removing the box's lid and holding up a gown by its shoulders.  
"He said that?" The dress is red and black, with hundreds of black beads sewn into the material so that it shines like dark water. The mid-length, sheer black sleeves were apparently modest enough to warrant a deep beaded neckline.  
"The last reason is my own, I confess. But we both know men are more inclined to want to please women when they look especially beautiful." She lays the dress onto the bed tenderly.

"I must see Van Helsing."

"He is safe and well-cared for. I served him dinner myself."

I frown, staring at her. How can I know that?

"When you are dressed, you are more than welcome to investigate the matter yourself."

Trying not to think of the trouble Gabriel could be in, I exhale, and think back to his advice. I will play the game. "Fine."  
By the time I am properly dressed, I feel as though one false move could cause all of the layers of clothing to burst into a firework of fabric. Between the surprisingly long corset, stiff crinoline, and skin-tight torso of the gown, I feel as though I have been precariously stuffed into a younger sister's dress. After helping me with my low-heeled boots and pouring me yet another glass of blood, Justine begins to pin up my hair.  
I scowl. I understand the desire to design women's gowns to be form fitting, but after a certain point tight dresses flatter no one. "Is this necessary?"

"Perhaps not. But I think Matthias will be more forgiving to you both since you have obeyed his wishes thus far."

"Forgiving? I can't see why we would need to be forgiven."

"Forgiving may not be the word I intended. My English is not very good."

"Why does Matthias wish for this?" I gesture toward my skirt.

She is silent for a few seconds, rapidly pinning. "Matthias is a very old, very influential vampire. He comes from a time long ago, when wealth and power alone granted a man great respect. Especially from women. But he was once a fledgling like yourself. He must want to help you."  
"Help me? Help me by grabbing me off the street like a criminal?"  
"Yes." She suddenly appears in front of me, a small tin of rouge in her hand. "The streets of Budapest would be much less kind to you."  
"I find that difficult to believe." I watch her carefully as she spreads a rouged finger over my cheeks.  
"There is much about this city that the average person knows nothing about. Matthias controls Budapest, but some of his followers would rather ask him for forgiveness than obey his laws outright."

"What are you talking about?"

She sighs, capping the tin of rouge and retrieving my half-empty wine glass. "I know you must feel very frightened and confused, but try to trust that Matthias is doing what is best."  
I accept the wine glass, staring down at her blue irises. I want to dismiss her as an employee of Matthias, but she appears completely earnest. What on earth could she have to gain from helping me?

"What would you do if you were in my place?" I ask her pointedly.

The soft smile on her lips fades slightly. A sharp, witty mind peeks out from behind her sugary-sweet disposition. "The reason Matthias wants to help you is, in my opinion, irrelevant. He is wealthy and powerful. Get everything you can from him. And drink as much as you can." She motions toward my glass. "The more you drink now, the less you'll need to drink later."

A knock sounds at the door, and the knocker does not pause for a response before entering. Matthias, holding two thick overcoats, enters, dressed as impeccably as he was the previous night.  
"Anna, you've decided to dress like a woman!" He chuckles, clearly in a much better mood than I am.  
Justine curtseys low, but I stand tall. Laughing again at my frown, he continues. "Well, I certainly can't escort you to town without an extravagant dress."  
"What?"  
"We have a few errands to attend to. I should only take a few hours."  
"No, absolutely not. I must see Van Helsing."  
"You will see him later tonight. Justine will personally see to his safety and entertainment."  
My eyes grow wide. "No. He will accompany us into town."  
Matthias laughs, turning to Justine and speaking to her in quick, happy French. She responds accordingly. "Come now, Anna. Justine wouldn't steal your fiancé the day before your wedding."  
"My wedding?" I wish he would just say one thing with which I could agree or approve.

He offers me one of the long coats draped over his arm. "I suppose I am assuming your engagement has not deteriorated under the weight of imprisonment."

The time it takes for me to reach out and accept the cloak seems to stretch into days and weeks. He could take me anywhere. He could take me under a bridge and kill me. He could auction me off into slavery. God have mercy on me.

Soon we are face to face in a rocking carriage. Light, fluffy snow falls from the sky, and I am grateful he thought to find a coat for me. Despite his thoughtfulness, I absolutely refuse to speak first.  
"Would you like to know where we are going?"  
"Siberia?" I cross my legs and stare out the window impatiently.  
"Your hotel. Then to send a telegram to the Vatican. Then the jeweler."  
"Why?"  
He furrows his brow. "You can't imagine why we would go to any of those places?"

Silence.

"Do you hear that?" He asks, smirking. "That quick, little sound?"  
I shake my head.  
"I think you can. Listen closely."  
Underneath the sounds of people talking outside, the creaking wheels of the carriage, and the clattering horses hooves, there is a faint sound. Before I can stop myself, I place a gloved hand over my chest to try and still my fluttering heart. Matthias smiles. "Is it possible that you've spent so much of your life in fear that fear is normalcy?"  
I stare at him darkly, pulling my hand back to my lap. "I'm not afraid of you."  
"Why not?"  
"There isn't anything you can do to me that hasn't already been done."  
Much to my pleasure, some of his unnatural happiness evaporates. He stares at me for a few moments. The boning of my corset presses painfully into my ribcage. "How did Count Dracula turn you?"

I reciprocate his uncomfortable staring. "How did your sire turn you?"

"How long were you at Castle Dracula?"  
"I do not wish to discuss this."  
"I do."  
I exhale noisily and glare at him. "What you wish is not my concern."  
He nods, gazing into my eyes.  
"Stop staring at me."  
He smiles, his irises flashing smoky white. "Few people have the courage to look me in the eye. Eye contact is the best way to see another's thoughts."

"You can know what another person thinks?" I ask, watching his eyes swirl back to their usual chocolate brown.  
"Fledglings especially should avoid eye contact with other vampires." He responds, avoiding my question.  
"I'm not a fledgling."  
"Indeed, you are. For at least another century."  
"Then I should be of no use to you."  
He smiles. "If only that were true." He leans back and crosses one leg over his knee. "How old was Dracula when you killed him?"  
"Over four hundred years old."  
He nods, running his pale fingers over the hat sitting next to him. "Do you think I am older than that?"  
"No."  
"I am."  
"Dracula was the most powerful vampire in…" I hesitate momentarily. I had always just assumed the world, but I have no evidence to prove it. "…all of Europe."  
"Was he?" There is a hint of mockery in his voice.  
"Dracula had property in Budapest. He was not your subordinate."  
He nods again. "That is correct. I am the master of Budapest with Dracula's explicit permission."  
"How old are you?" I ask softly. Is it possible this thin, irreverent man has more power hidden inside him than the son of the devil?  
"That is very valuable information."

"Why?"  
"Dracula was younger, but more powerful than I am. Age does not always indicate strength."  
"But it usually does."  
He nods. "Though I should hold my tongue, I feel compelled to inform you that, as the usurper of Dracula's throne, you have taken his place."  
"His place as what?"  
"The most powerful vampire in eastern Europe. And likely Russia.  
I shake my head, absolutely dismissing his words. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Generally," he smirks, "the one who kills a master becomes the master. Or, should the master die by accident, the oldest of his bloodline that survives replaces him. You happen to fit both criteria."

"Perhaps I am not the oldest survivor."

"You are. What good fortune."

My heart beat quickens. Instead of stewing in the horror of Matthias' words, all I can think of how clever Count Dracula was when he decided to murder me. No matter what they outcome, I will suffer for eternity.  
"You are the master of thousands of vampires."  
I close my eyes briefly. What I wouldn't give to be so, so far away from Budapest…"On what authority?"  
"Your brute strength."  
Squinting slightly, I sit up straighter. "Then I am your master."  
"Indeed you are." He smiles a big, white grin.  
"Stop the carriage." Perhaps Matthias does not need to know that Dracula did not die at my hand.  
"The carriage will stop when we reach the hotel you visited last night."  
I speak with the most forceful voice I can muster, "You will take me to Van Helsing and release us both from this city."  
"Yes, I will. In due time."

Soon we reach the inn. Matthias, tipping the clerk generously, has the bags Gabriel and I brought with us to Budapest loaded onto the carriage. "Is this the woman you saw last night?"  
The clerk nods, his eyes lingering on my dress for just a moment too long. I glare at him.  
"Then you have done very well. You may have saved her life. Perhaps she should thank you."  
Scoffing, I turn from them and walk quickly toward the door. I hardly know what I am doing here with Matthias, and I cannot believe he treats me so poorly. Matthias chuckles and talks with the clerk in Hungarian. He is still chuckling seconds later, as he appears instantly next to the carriage.

"Anna, Anna, Anna. You are so grim."  
"And what are you? Some kind of jester?" I snap, turning sharply and walking down the sidewalk.  
Following quickly, Matthias keeps in step with my noisy boots. "Tell me something, Countess–"  
"I am not a Countess."  
"Suppose you had never met Gabriel. Suppose you had no village to tend. Suppose you were just a woman alone in the world."  
"I shouldn't like to imagine that."  
"What would you do to fill your days? What would you do live a happy life?"  
"Marry." I reply without thinking.  
"Why?"  
"Why does any woman marry?"  
"Stop, please." He grabs my arm, and only then do I realize that, in my attempt to get away from him, we had practically been running down the street, side by side.  
"If you had never met Van Helsing, would you want to marry?"  
"I don't know." For some reason, the thought slips out of my mouth before I can censor myself.  
"Then how would you occupy yourself?"

Looking past him, into a world in which I find myself alone in the mountains, all I can see is fog. I would do nothing. I would pray for some accident to take me away from this life. "I don't know."  
"Perhaps you don't want to marry." His hair catches tiny snowflakes before they reach the ground. The quiet night weighs heavily on my shoulders.  
"What do you want from me?" I whisper angrily. "What are we doing? I don't want to be here. I'm not a marionette to entertain you and fill up a few of your endless days in this godforsaken city."  
"I want to help you, Anna."  
"I help myself. I don't owe anyone anything."  
"My assistance is free of charge."  
Shaking my head, I turn and continue walking down the side of the road. "With vampires there is always a price to pay."

Catching up with me quickly, he murmurs, "If you wish to turn right at the street ahead, the telegraph office is not far from here."  
"Money? Is that what you want from me?"  
He chuckles smugly. "No, I have plenty of that."  
"Power, then. You want to be the Master of Europe."  
He responds with silence, which I take as confirmation of my suspicions. "Then have it. I give you whatever power given to me as Dracula's successor."  
"If I was a cruel man, I would take it without question, but I cannot allow you to throw away all that you have earned." We turn around the corner together.  
"I will trade something valuable to you, and you will trade something valuable to me. My freedom and the freedom of my fiancé for Dracula's power."  
"That trade amounts to theft."  
"Surely you aren't above theft."  
"I am above theft. But I will consider your generous offer."

We walk a while in silence. "You will send a telegram to Rome?"  
"Yes. And you must be completely silent inside the telegram office."  
"Why?"  
"The vampire employed there gossips to anyone who will listen."  
"So?"  
"So we will invent a story to protect you."  
"What kind of story?" I ask wearily.  
He stops abruptly and, guiding me with a hand against my lower back, escorts me into one of the buildings adjacent to the sidewalk. "One you will dislike."

Though the telegraph office is not well-lit, I can see everything. The machine itself must be hidden in a back room, as all there is to see is a wooden counter, strewn with fake flowers. Suddenly, a man appears behind the counter, bowing and grinning. "Greetings, my lord." His curly hair falls backward as he raises his head, shaking more curls from his eyes.

"Good evening. I wish to send a message." Matthias discreetly pushes me forward so that I approach the counter with him.  
The man hands Matthias a piece of paper and a pen. Smiling mischievously, he looks into my eyes. "Instead of payment, I should like to be introduced to your companion, my lord Matthias."  
Bending his head to complete the telegram form, Matthias mumbles. "This is the dowager Countess Anna Dracula."  
The vampire's eyes spark, and an excited, nervous grin creeps across his face. "Dowager?"  
Matthias looks up briefly from his paper, grinning as stupidly as the telegraph operator. "Dowager."  
"Is he dead?"  
Matthias stands slowly, smiling down at me the way another old, powerful vampire used to. "To the victor belong the spoils."

Before I can even think of an insult appropriate enough for either of the two men, Matthias' boot presses down firmly onto mine. Yes, I do dislike this story.

"What an honor, to share the bed of two of the greatest of our kind."  
With restraint I did not know I had, I keep my face expressionless. His eyes dart to Matthias, who has begun to write down his message. "And how lucky for you that Justine is so understanding."  
"Yes, we shall see."  
Justine? Justine is Matthias' lover? Christ. Below the counter I clench my fists. Everything either Gabriel or I have said to her might as well have been said to Matthias himself. Property Manager? Why even bother with that? Her influence must be much greater in her management of Matthias'…

"Tell me, Countess," He leans on the counter, and in response I find myself standing even straighter, "Does he pleasure you the way a beautiful woman like yourself deserves to be pleasured?"  
"I doubt very much that you have ever pleased any woman."  
Both Matthias and the telegram messenger laugh heartily. "What a treasure you have found!"  
Matthias nods, sliding his piece of paper over to the other man. "Send this at once. And as a man who treats women so poorly, I trust you will tell everyone you know that this woman is to be treated by all as a beloved friend. A beloved sister."  
"Of course, my lord."

Unceremoniously grabbing my upper arm, Matthias leads me out of the office. Once we have walked a safe distance from the building, he begins to scold me. "You are no Princess here, you are not among your people. You cannot insult your way out of uncomfortable situations—"  
I rip my arm out of his grasp. "As you yourself proclaimed, I am to be treated as well as any of your whores."  
"That brief moment of embarrassment has granted you more security than you can comprehend." He replies sternly.  
"Is Justine your wife?"  
"We are not married."  
"But you share your bed with her, don't you?"  
"Yes."  
"And how many others?"  
"How many have you shared your bed with?"

"How dare you ask me that question." I mutter angrily.

"How dare _you_ ask _me _that question." Matthias snaps, pushing me into a dark alleyway. Stumbling over my skirts, I feel my heart beat nervously as he jerks me upright and presses my back to the brick wall. "Enough of your feigned outrage. Your honor as a woman is not made of modesty and piety and grace. It is made of courage, and knowledge, and honesty. I know you are not some trembling flower raised in a monastery. If you wish to be treated as my equal, you will behave as my equal."

I look defiantly away from him.

"Have you any idea what any other Master would have done to you? Have you killed, certainly, but likely much worse." My glare softens slightly, but I cannot think of anything to say. He continues. "You and I both know there is no truth in the gossip that will spread about us. Do not pretend to be offended by it."

I stare past him, at the wall opposite me. I breathe slowly, exhaling the cacophony of thoughts and emotions inside me. I am something between the poised, sweet lady Maria raised me to be, and the hard-nosed ruffian my life has forced me to become, and the balance does not suit me well. "I thank you for your understanding in this extremely difficult time."

"Yes. This is a difficult time." He runs his fingers through his hair , pacing a few steps into the alley. "Come." He murmurs. "We must select your wedding band."

"I have a wedding ring."

As though he had anticipated some excuse on my behalf, he immediately changes our itinerary. "Then we shall visit your new priest."

* * *

Review!


	5. Descent

**Chapter 5**  
**Descent**

Greetings, interweb. Can you believe it's been almost a year since I last updated? Don't think for a second that I don't think about Gabey and mAnna almost every day. It's probably unhealthy. But that's how it is. As always, reread the last couple chapters, please. I sincerely apologize for the delay in publishing - I found this chapter difficult to write, but I am somewhat pleased with what has come of it.

Note: If I were a really good fanfiction author, I would do things like look up what it would be like to live in Budapest in the late 1880's, and figure out what currency they used, and figure out if they actually used certain words or phrases. But I'm not going to do that. Mostly because I'm lazy. It is very clear from the text that this tale is written by someone in 21st century North America, with little knowledge of the time period she is supposed to be writing within. So I do my best trying to make everything seem as accurately old timey as I can. What matters to me more is the story, but do historical inaccuracies really bother you, lovely readers?

Guest and Jill: Your wish is my command!

Guest: I hope I never give up on this story. It's all in my head. Actually writing it out is the hard part. Thanks for reading!

SadisticBeauty30: Girl, you are a rock star. Thanks for chatting with me about the VH universe and being so supportive. I hope you love this chapter!

* * *

Matthias' carriage, somehow waiting for us to emerge from the alleyway, takes us to a clean, well-lit church. The crucifixes and bowls of holy water unnerve me, but Matthias pays no attention. Absently crossing himself, he walks down the center aisle between the rows of pews. Turning, he soon reaches a door and knocks, ushering me inside once Father Delgadillo tells him to enter.

"Father!" Matthias greets the priest warmly.  
"Matthias." The priest stands from his desk and shakes Matthias' hand.  
"Father, please meet Anna Valerious, a most promising associate of mine." Promising?  
"Yes, yes! Mrs. Valerious, how glad I am to meet you in less troubling circumstances."

I pull my mouth up into a toothless smile. Mrs. Valerious. Soon I will be Mrs. Van Helsing. This night has exhausted me, and it is probably not even midnight.

"There is a matter of some urgency I wish to discuss with you." Matthias continues, gesturing that I should sit in one of the chairs facing Delgadillo's desk.  
"Is something wrong?"  
"No, Father. I have an excellent opportunity for you."  
"What kind of opportunity?"  
"There is a town in Transylvania that is in desperate need of a man like you."  
"How so?" The priest removes his glasses and places them tenderly on his desk.  
"You are a more understanding gentleman than most. You have great care for your congregation, and you speak Romanian and Hungarian, do you not?"  
He nods, a frown creeping over his priestly brow. "Certainly you aren't implying what I think you are implying, Matthias."

Matthias turns to me and raises his eyebrows expectantly. Apparently this is to be my new priest. "My people have been without a priest for almost my entire life, Father. We need guidance. Most of the children in my village have never been baptized or…participated in any sacraments." I stumble over the English words, translating them from the Romanian thoughts in my mind.  
"Are you asking me to move my life to another land, Matthias? Leave my friends, and the members of this church?"  
"Yes. But only because you are uniquely suited to the situation at hand."  
He continues needling the priest, but I let the sounds float past me without listening to them. I shouldn't like a priest friendly with any vampire. And certainly Gabriel should be able to perform any rituals a priest officiates. The Left Hand of God must be holier than the Pope himself. In that case, my attraction to Gabriel alone will almost assuredly send me to hell.

"…concerned with the cost of this kind of transition? You know I would be more than happy to support you while you grow accustomed to your new home."  
"No, no, I am certain God will provide for me, no matter what path I choose."

Bribing priests. My God. In my desire to be rid of Matthias, a reverie slowly blooms in my mind. I walk out of the room, and into the night, both men staring curiously after me. I walk and walk, or find a horse and ride away. I ride through the city, and through all of Europe. Through France and Spain. My village would assume I had been killed in Budapest. They would rule themselves for a little while. Then some aggressive young man would become the leader by default. I could go wherever I wanted. Working here and there, or stealing whatever I need. Far away from everyone and everything. Gabriel might even come with me. I would never have to think about any of this again. I couldn't disappoint anyone.

What if Matthias is right? What if I only want to marry because the man I am to marry is handsome, strong Gabriel? My love for him has solidified over the course of one short trip to Budapest. Perhaps my resolve to wed has also strengthened unnaturally quickly.  
"Would you be amenable to those terms, Anna?"  
"Certainly." I reply as my fantasy evaporates. I suppose a priest in league with Matthias is perhaps better than no priest at all.  
"Then it is settled. I will consider this a personal favor." Matthias rises and offers the priest his hand.

Delgadillo shakes his hand and smiles. "We are doing God's work, Matthias." I shake his hand as well. "Mrs. Valerious, I look forward to working with you and your gypsies."  
"Please, Father. Address me as 'Anna.'" My gypsies? What an odd phrase.

"What terms does he require?" I ask, climbing back into the carriage.  
"A room. Some other items I will see are given to him. And a sizable donation on my behalf to the church."  
"And you are willing to meet those terms so that he will be the priest for my people?"  
"How many people live in your village?" He asks, patting the velvet ceiling of the carriage.  
"Enough to need a priest."  
"But there are thousands and thousands of gypsies all over Europe. Forgetting that most of them are not Catholic, are you are the Queen of every gypsy?"  
Am I Queen of every gypsy? Should I ever need to, how would I contact every gypsy alive? "You are helping me get something I want, but I am not obligated to give you what you want in return."  
"I am simply making conversation."  
Of course he is. "Where are we going?"  
"My estate."

The time it takes to arrive at said estate seems to drag on for several hours. The uncomfortable silence only lengthens the trip. Once we pass through the large, metal gates, he begins to speak. "What do you think of yourself?"  
I decline to answer.  
He leans forward in his seat. "I am referring specifically to your appearance."  
I frown. "What do I think of my appearance?"  
"Would you say you are an attractive woman?"  
"I was taught not to think about it."  
"But you do think about it. All women think about it."  
"That would be the sin of pride."  
"Dracula takes you as a bride. Van Helsing wishes to do the same. I tell Budapest that you are my mistress. These are roles only a very beautiful woman could play."  
"They are roles any woman could play." For some inexplicable reason, this line of questioning makes me extremely uneasy.  
"You don't notice the way men look at you?"  
"Men are animals." Yes, I do notice. I wish they wouldn't.

Matthias smiles. "Indeed they are. But someday you will find you cannot recall what you look like."

I had not considered that. What do I look like? Suddenly the memory of the last time I saw my own face rushes into my mind. The last time I saw myself was through Dracula's eyes as we writhed together in our marriage bed – my pale body panting in the candlelight, my eyes and lips as scarlet as blood. I shake my head, trying to forget that hazy, vulgar memory. It will inevitably haunt me forever.

"Fear not." He sighs. "Our kind ages beautifully."

I ponder Matthias' words after we disembark. It is true – most vampires are very striking. Dracula's brides, though vicious and unstable, were certainly the most beautiful women I had ever seen before meeting Justine. After escorting me to a study, Matthias instructs me to wait patiently. How odd it is that someone as powerful as Count Dracula would walk amongst the rest of the world as if he were nothing more than a tailor or baker. His attitude is certainly more comparable to Dracula's, but he appears no more dangerous than any other man.

I pull back a curtain and peer out across the grounds toward the city. This city must be a hundred times larger than my village. Or even larger? And if Matthias is older and than Dracula, just how much older? Ten years? Two hundred years? My God. A six hundred year old vampire. What if someday I have lived for six centuries? What will the world be like in…2588? Both the date and the thought make me dizzy. After removing my coat, I brush off my skirts. How absurd I must look. He must think he has civilized the wild, barbarian gypsy.

The door to the study opens, but I do not turn to greet the visitor. Perhaps if he or she is ignored, I will be left alone. I soon hear heavy footsteps creak across the wooden floor.  
"Pardon me, Miss?" The familiar scent and the sound of his voice merge in my memory, and I instantly turn, accidentally twirling the train of the dress around me. I cannot believe I stopped worrying for him even once this entire night!  
Dressed in a well-fitted suit, complete with waistcoat and pocket watch, my fiancé stands tall, the richness of the fabrics making him appear even more dashing than usual. He appears to be much more comfortable in his luxurious attire than I. Though, it is unlikely he is laced into a corset.  
A strange smile crosses his handsome face. "I was hunting for my fiancée, but I seem to have stumbled upon a more enticing opportunity."  
"How could you even think to cause your fiancée any more worry than she has already been through this night?" I am so happy to see him safe I could sing.  
He scoops me into his arms and holds me close, my cheek pressed to the fine black shoulder of his coat. "You are unrecognizable. But perhaps your brilliance stunned me."  
I push him away, even though I would love nothing more than to spend hours in his arms. "How can you be so…?" The English word I am searching for only comes to me in Romanian – _ireverenţios_.  
"Because we are unharmed. And we are together."

I find myself jealous of his cool, calm demeanor. I used to be a master of my emotions. The last few months must have left me a trembling fawn. Will I always be so confused and emotional? Before Gabriel came to Transylvania, I had only one problem driving me mad.  
"Justine told me you have already eaten dinner."  
He nods, running his hands over my upper arms. "Yes, but tell me what you have done tonight."  
A good wife would have bitten her tongue about the various injustices I experienced over the course of the evening, but my complaints pour out of me like a bitter wine. I tell him about the priest, and the odd questions, the telegraph office, and the traitorous innkeeper. "..and then he asked me if I think I'm pretty. And what will I do when I forget how I look."

Gabriel nods. "What will you do?"  
"What? What does that have to do with any of this?" He found none of that odd or surprising? Am I out of my mind?  
He escorts me to a small divan and sits beside me. While I fuss with the crinoline, he sighs, "Anna, I can't understand how you've managed to stay level-headed while spending a lifetime fighting evil, but when a stranger hurts your pride, you find it unforgivably offensive."  
His words sting. Perhaps he can read my thoughts. Two men in one day have scolded my haughty behavior. I stare at him with an irritated, stoic expression.

Gabriel takes my hand, rubbing his thumb over the shiny fabric of my glove. "I spent some time conversing with Justine."  
"Did you tell her anything you shouldn't like Matthias to know?"  
He shakes his head. "No, she disclosed their…relationship."  
"What did you discuss?"  
"We talked about you. And our marriage. And what it might entail."  
"You trust her with such personal information?"  
"I can't see what value it could have. And she seemed genuinely interested in me, and us, and our future. You've spoken with her, haven't you? You don't think she acts in earnest?"  
"Their intentions are irrelevant." I stand, becoming increasingly confused and frustrated. Why can't he reciprocate any of my feelings? Why does he trust them? "They have no right to know our personal affairs."

"This has nothing to do with privacy." He too stands, following me as I walk away from him. I place my hands against my back, just over my hips and the painful boning of my bodice. My attire must be choking my thoughts. I can't seem to articulate how upset I am. "Yes it does. They are manipulating us. They are manipulating me."

"How?"  
"Matthias wants Dracula's legacy. His lands, or realm. I don't know what it is exactly, but Matthias thinks I have it."  
"Dracula's authority?"  
I shake my head, my back still turned to him. "I don't understand." If I can keep Gabriel from thinking of me as the inheritor of Dracula's apparently extensive dominion, I will. And Matthias could have blatantly lied to me. For all I know, there is no such thing as a 'Master' of Budapest.  
"I tried to explain that I want nothing to do with any of this, and that I would give him whatever power he desired if he would allow us to leave." I continue.  
"Did he accept?"  
"He said his conscience wouldn't allow such an unfair trade."

Gabriel ponders this for so long that I turn back to face him. "He thinks it desirable enough to bring us here, but not desirable enough to take it by force." He concludes. "Whatever it is, do not give it away."  
I scowl. "We are not in a position to bargain."  
"Of course we are. At the very least, he thinks you have something he wants. Or if you do actually possess this legacy, it might be valuable on its own merits."  
A horrible thought crosses my mind. "What do you mean?"  
"If he thinks you now command whatever wealth and loyalty Dracula had at his disposal, then perhaps you do."  
"I don't want it." I snap, slightly alarmed that he would even suggest such an idea.  
"You could want it later. Or, you might want it just to keep it out of the hands of others."  
"I could want to be some kind of vampire king? What are you saying?" My voice grows louder and angrier.  
"We don't understand what we're arguing about." He tries to soothe my frustration.

I step closer. "And I don't want to understand. We don't need to understand. We can leave all of this darkness behind us, Gabriel. When we marry we can forget all of the monstrous creatures and evil and just be happy."  
He closes his eyes briefly, a disappointed frown forming on his face. "No. Why would you think that? What makes you think we will ever be rid of all this darkness? We can't escape this. We can confront the challenges ahead and overcome, or run away like children. It is no use pretending our lives are something they cannot be."  
Slightly taken aback, my arms fall to my side. Real frustration sparks in his eyes, and his brow is furled.

He must think I am a child. A child scared of monsters lurking under the bed. "I don't…." And I am a child. A child who demands to be treated like a princess while treating others like paupers. A child who happily condemns sinners, but curses and kills without remorse. A fat child dressed in her mother's fine gown. And why would any man want to marry a child? I close my eyes.

"The Anna Valerious I fell in love with fears nothing. No man or beast."

I feel as though he has wrenched my heart from my chest. He must not know how much his words crush me. He might be trying to strengthen me with encouragement, but he implies I am now a coward. I wish I was alone. I wish I wasn't trapped inside this body and this mind. I wish I could be someone else. "Then marry her instead."

Matthias enters the room without knocking. I am almost glad to see him. He has cut off what was sure to have been an incredibly painful silence. "Let us talk," he announces, the cloth of his pant legs forming long, sleek lines to the ground.  
"We have all conversed enough for one evening, Matthias." Gabriel murmurs.  
"I'm afraid I must insist we speak privately, Gabriel."  
"We can talk tomorrow."  
"We will then as well."  
Gabriel rubs a hand tiredly over his face. "Where is Anna to go?"  
"Wherever she likes."

Gabriel walks toward me, and I can sense that they now both hope I leave. "Will you go to our rooms?"

I stare up at his handsome face. He wants me to walk through this fortress of vampires alone? He will banish me from the room at the request of our vampire captor? "I should like to stay here."  
"I am asking you to go to our rooms." He states blandly. "Please."  
All I can do is turn and do as he says. If he takes no issue with being alone in a room with one of the most powerful vampire for hundreds of miles, then neither do I. If he takes no issue with allowing me to wander the halls of this mansion alone, then neither do I. This Anna Valerious he loves should protect me.

Soon realizing I have no idea where our rooms are located, I sit on the edge of an armchair in an alcove at the end of a hallway. I hear Maria telling me that ladies always sit on the edge of a chair to improve their posture and make them appear more graceful. Women are never so exhausted or casual that they must use the back of a chair.  
A few moments later, Justine appears, seemingly from nowhere. "Come," She beckons me down the hall, walking very quickly under the bulk of her bustle.  
"Where?"  
"To them."  
Against my better judgment, I follow her. She leads me to a room adjacent to the study in which Gabriel and Matthias are conspiring against me. Justine removes a painting from the wall, and several inches of wall permanently affixed to the back of the painting. I hear muffled voices as soon as she pulls the portrait away. Putting her finger to her lips, she gestures for me to lean closer. She does the same, and we listen, our ears pressed to the wall. Why on earth would this specific section of this wall be secretly removed to enable eavesdropping? And why this study in particular? Is this where Matthias spies on all his detainees?

"I have no interest in conversations unflattering to my bride." I hear Gabriel remark.  
"Mmm." Matthias murmurs. "The woman you love is the subject of my concerns, dear Gabriel."  
"Concerns."  
"Yes."  
"Does your influence extend so far as to reach into my private affairs?"  
"I could argue it does, but I concede that it may not. I come to you not as Master of Budapest, but as the voice of reason."  
"I am unreasonable?"  
"Love makes us all unreasonable. That is, of course, if you are truly marrying her for love."

A hot, frightening sensation burns my cheeks. How could he even think to embarrass Gabriel like this? I close my eyes to keep them from meeting Justine's gaze.

"I wouldn't marry for any other reason." His voice is low and sincere. Thank God.  
"Would she?"  
He doesn't respond. What on earth does that mean?  
"As a guest at Anna Valerious' first wedding, I should think her experience with marriage is quite tainted."

I press my fingernails into the fleshy skin below my thumbs. How dare he remind Gabriel of that.

"You don't know her well enough to know." Matthias concludes.  
"You think we should not marry." Gabriel finally decides to speak.  
"No."  
"Because we don't know each other well enough?" Gabriel sounds as if he is discussing a business transaction. Cold. Ambivalent.  
"Such a brief engagement with no money or property at stake tells me you are both eager to lie together as man and wife. And that perhaps this desire has clouded your vision to less attractive aspects of your future bride"

I flush a hot red, and Justine has the grace to ignore me. What an awful thing to say.

"_Ich brauche nicht zu heiraten, eine Frau ins Bett._" Gabriel snaps.  
"Of course not." Of course not what? What had he said?  
"That opinion insults me. And her."  
"Then I will not divulge my other reservations if you shouldn't like to hear them."  
Matthias interprets Gabriel's silence as assent.  
"Though Count Dracula called her 'Queen of the Gypsies,' I think he must have meant she is Queen of her village. She is no gypsy. She is too pale. To anglicized. Gypsies were once Turks, and she is by no means of Turkish ancestry. Does she look anything like the other gypsies you've seen? Either in Europe, or in the East? Even Romania?"

"Go on." Gabriel says after several minutes.

My heart begins to flutter nervously. I hope Matthias will not sense my anxious heartbeats. I'm surprised he did not mention my surname, which does not sound classically Romanian.  
"Gypsies are married at notoriously young ages. She is surely considered an old maid by the rest of her people. Why would the daughter of a king not be married in her youth?"

Nothing. Damn him. Why is he spoiling everything?

"And what of your life after the wedding? You'll live together and rule that little town of hers? Do either of you know anything of governing?"  
"Any fool can govern well enough."  
"Perhaps." Said the foolish governor of thousands of vampires. "But how will she feed? How many years can go by before her people notice she never eats? Or that she never walks down the street in the sunshine? That she never goes to a morning mass?"

I feel my throat begin to close. Two years? Five? Gabriel's heart rate has finally crept up.

"And I'm sure you've considered that you put her in even greater danger."  
"From the Church?"  
"Oh, yes. They invested heavily in you. Their head assassin just happens to disappear when sent to rescue a pretty princess? I would be surprised if they aren't combing Europe for you already. And they will not be pleased to see you have shirked your duties for the temptations of the flesh."

I push my fingers into the cloth above my pounding heart. He makes it sound as if Gabriel is throwing away the greatest honor in the land for some bar wench. I wait, hoping Gabriel will turn his lecture on its head and tell him that I am worth any sacrifice, that he will protect me from any enemy, and that Matthias is lucky Gabriel doesn't tell the Order about this awful place and burn it to the ground.

Matthias also seems to be waiting for that response. But it never comes. "Have you any others?"

A drum beat pounds in my head. Gabriel, who can be so clever and talkative when he wants to be, did not even attempt to defend me as his future wife. Is this how men really talk of the women they marry? This lukewarm – no, tepid – behavior must mean he really does only want to marry me for lascivious reasons. If he hasn't given our life together a single thought, then what has he expected of our marriage? In all fairness, I haven't given much thought to it either. We have been somewhat occupied during our courtship.

"If I were you," Matthias volunteers, "this is what I would do. Marry her in secret, here in Budapest. Live together as man and wife for a few months. Her village does not have to know the marriage has taken place. Have the marriage annulled if your life together is not what either of you desire. The preacher I bought you has a unique understanding of the difficulties of our kind."

Gabriel finally sounds irritated, "You would have me marry the woman I love, and that loves me in return, and leave her in a few months if my expectations are not met?"

Matthias sighs. "Please consider what you are entering into, Gabriel. She will live forever. You seem to have the ability to do the same. To have and to hold a spouse as long as you both shall live extends a few decades for most couples. For you two, it could be forever. Centuries. And you will not age. Your relationship will not devolve into content, platonic companionship. You will be strong and lusty forever, with the same appetites and inclinations that you have now. That is a long time to be wed to the same person. You are asking much of yourself and her to be in love as you are now for the rest of eternity."

Forever. Are we asking too much of marriage itself? What if we are? What if we hate each other in fifty years? Or even one?

"So I caution you. If you are truly meant for each other, then living in sin for a few months will be a drop of water in an ocean of happy days spent together. If not, you can part amicably and promise to try again in another eon."

I slip out of the room, leaving Justine in the dark silence. I cannot hear any more. I cannot listen to men rationalize their traitorous decisions. If I heard Gabriel agree with Matthias, I would scream. Before I can walk too far, Justine appears beside me and silently escorts me to my bedroom. When we reach the door, she asks if I would like to talk.  
"No." I shut the door, her lovely face vanishing behind the glossy wood.

I tear at my clothes. I yank off the gown, and throw it onto a chair. Tossing the numerous layers of clothing onto the floor, I accidentally rip the laces of my bodice. I pull at the strings angrily. This love scheme of ours is unraveling. That paradise of happiness Gabriel and I both wanted so badly is just a shimmering mirage. Perhaps we had been sprinting towards marriage because stopping to consider the consequences might ruin everything. We want love, and a family, but more than that we both just want to find joy. We find it in each other, and we want it to expand infinitely. A wedding and the promise of a life together should conquer any hardship. All our past sins, present obstacles, and nightmares could be erased by the purity and passion of our love. It must. A holy union, blessed by God, between two souls so alike, and desperately in love.

But it could just be me that treats marriage so selfishly. I cannot think which is worse – both of us retreating into marriage as a cure-all tonic for life's pains, or one of us doing so while the other consciously and carefully determines it to be the right choice. Or one simply acquiescing to see where this adventure will take him. I fall back onto the bed, finally free of the contraptions molding my body into a socially acceptable woman. Staring up at the ceiling, I stretch my arms up over my head. I don't want to question any of this. I want to marry Gabriel and live in marital bliss. But now I will be lucky if he will even look at me. I certainly wouldn't want to marry some silly, old, imposter of a vampire.

But what would I do if he asked for his ring back? I can feel myself sliding down an icy slope into gloom. I should release myself from these unsavory thoughts just for tonight. It has been an indescribably taxing night.  
I push my arms through a lacey dressing gown I find folded in an armoire. If only I could drink myself to sleep the way I used to whenever dark thoughts tried to pull me into despair.  
An hour or so later, Gabriel appears. I spend most of that time trying to think of nothing. This helps calm my toxic storm of emotions into quiet displeasure. He slips into the bedroom without a sound. Though my eyes are closed, I recognize him by his scent. I open them to watch him pull off his fine attire and crawl onto the bed. His eyes look back at mine for several seconds. We are both weary.

"You would never have let me watch you undress." He mumbles, his mouth muffled by a pillow.

I push myself closer to him and pull his hand upward, locking our fingers together. Though I would like nothing more than to shake him and beg him to explain everything that has happened to us over the last three months, I just kiss the back of his hand. If he is to leave me and return to the Vatican, then we can have this brief peace.

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